


As the Saying Goes...

by Wargurl83



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU and Canon stories, As-The-Saying-Goes-Bingo, Check each chapter for tags, Gen, Short Stories, non-connected stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-10-03 22:03:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20460215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wargurl83/pseuds/Wargurl83
Summary: A series of non-connected one-shots for the As the Saying Goes Bingo. Check each chapter for tags and ratings.





	1. As the Saying Goes...

Welcome! This is my first ever Bingo project, and instead of putting them up in seperate postings, I'm collecting them all in one place. Each chapter is based on a Bingo Square (I'll share it as the last chapter) and may have different pairings, characters, tags, ratings, etc. I have no idea where my brain is going to take us on this wild ride. 

Updates will be whenever my brain decides to give me something to work with, so don't expect anything on a regular basis!

Thanks for reading :)


	2. Bite off More Than You Can Chew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Idiom. To take on more than one can deal with or accomplish._
> 
> Dean takes on a vampire nest without doing his own recon.
> 
> **Tags & Rating:** Graphic Depictions of Violence, Hunt gone wrong, Dean Whump, BAMF Cas, Canon Compliant, Mature

Dean’s pretty sure he’s fucked. And not in a fun way.

He whirls around, using his momentum to swing the machete in his right hand fast enough to decapitate the bloodsucker in front of him. He ducks the punch aimed for his head and jabs the handle into the gut of the male attempting to turn him into vamp chow, making him double over. It’s a perfect opportunity for a beheading, and Dean takes said opportunity grimly.

He’s starting to get winded now, though, and the handle of his machete is slick with blood. He shifts his grip and rears back, avoiding another punch aimed his way.

The nest has him cornered now, and although he’s probably taken out a third of the fuckers, they’re still coming. His intel had said there was only five here, but at this point, he’s seriously starting to think there’s _fifty_ of them here.

It’s never-ending.

And he’s only human.

Someone lands a fist to his ribs, causing the air in his lungs to whoosh out and his vision darkens. He gasps and drops to one knee, the machete clattering to the floor. Fingers tangle in his hair and yank his head back, pain lancing through his scalp. Tears leak out of the corner of his eyes, but he grits his teeth and jabs an elbow back into the body pressed to his back. He hears a grunt, and the vamp takes a step back, giving Dean the room to push up and regain his feet. He looks around and catches sight of an opening. He breaks through the bodies surrounding him and makes a dash to the door.

“Son of a bitch!” A weight lands on his back, and he feels a hand wrap around his ankle, and the combination of the two send Dean crashing to the floor. He grunts at the impact and the searing pain lances through his scalp again, but this time, he’s held down with no leverage.

Pain explodes from his neck, and his vision whites out when the vampire on his back sinks their teeth in. The fucker’s teeth sink deeper as the body on top of him is shifted, and he feels more teeth sinking into his flesh along his calves, his back, his arms, even his _ass._

He’s going to die here.

He can hear a high-pitched whine start up somewhere, but he can’t focus on anything except the slowly numbing pain. He’s not even being held down any more, all the fight has drained from his body along with his blood. He wonders if they are going to bother trying to turn him.

He hopes not.

A blinding white light suddenly floods over the horde on top of him, and Dean closes his eyes. He feels the weight of the bodies around him disappearing and lets himself drift into the darkness behind his eyelids.

*

Castiel, Angel of the Lord and Seraph, is absolutely _furious_.

When he finally breeches the vampire nest’s stronghold, his vessel can no longer hold back the wrath of his grace. The part of his grace that is still attached to Dean rushes forth, buoying the hunter’s failing body while the rest pours out of him in a white-hot rush, disintegrating the vampires to ash.

He rushes forward, dropping to his knees beside Dean. He turns him over, and a keen starts low in his throat at the sight of the many missing chunks of flesh that he sees. Castiel gathers Dean to his chest and cradles him as he flies out of the building, taking him back to the motel he’d checked into earlier that day. He lays him out on the bed and lays hands on the worst of the wounds, praying to his Father that he’ll have enough grace to save the human.

Hours pass. Castiel methodically goes over Dean’s body, starting with the missing flesh and encouraging the cells to regenerate and knit, to become whole again. He fights off an infection that valiantly tries to set in, but his grace burns it as fast as it appears.

At last, he can do no more.

Exhausted, the Seraph sits back and looks Dean over once again. His color is better, but he’s still weak from the blood loss. Only rest can help him now.

Rolling his shoulders, Castiel calls forth his wings. He divests himself and Dean of most of their clothing, leaving only a shirt and boxers for the both of them, and pulls the covers back on the other bed in the room. He gathers the hunter to his chest once more and settles down on the bed. He wraps his wings around them both, pulls the covers up to their waists, and falls asleep.


	3. Children and Fools Tell the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prov. Children have not yet learned, and fools never did learn, that it is often advantageous to lie._
> 
> Dean's got a crush on the recess monitor and the kids in his class catch on...
> 
> Rating: Gen, no tags.

Dean loves his kids. They make his student loans and lack of funding that comes with working for a public school worth it.

The classroom today is chaos, but he's about to release the little heathens to recess so he can set his room to rights again. If he can get it done fast enough, he might even be able to run the newest batch of cookies out to Mr. Novak instead of waiting to see him at lunch.

"Mr. Winchester! Are you gonna make Mr. Novak some coffee today? It's really cold," Annie pipes up as the kids start putting away their markers from coloring.

"Yeah!" Ben throws in. "Coffee or hot chocolate will help keep him warm while he's out there watching us."

Dean looks at his kids to see twenty-five sets of eyes peering back at him, clearly awaiting his answer. He sees his best friend-slash-classroom helper Charlie cover her mouth to hide her smile from the kids and sighs.

"Well, let's take a vote. Everyone for hot chocolate raise your hands." All of the kid's hands shoot up and he nods. "Hot chocolate it is. Will you all behave for Miss Charlie if I go make it now so we can all take it to him when we go to recess?"

A chorus of 'yeses convince him, and he nods. "Alright. Y'all keep up the good work, listen to Miss Charlie, and you can help me take hot chocolate out to Mr. Novak." He leans over to Charlie as he passes and says in her ear, "I'll be back in five." Charlie nods as he hurries past her to the staff lounge.

There's only the instant stuff, but it's hot, so Dean gets a Styrofoam cup and fills it up with hot water from the water dispenser.

He fumbles the packet a little trying to get all of the powder in the cup but manages to get the majority of it where it's supposed to go, stirred up, and a travel top on it so that it doesn't cool off too fast. He manages to slip back into the classroom a minute or so before its time for him to release the class to the wilds.

As they line up, Dean smiles softly at the kindergartners. When the bell rings, they look up at him expectantly, so he leads them outside and in search of Mr. Novak, the recess monitor. He feels a little like a momma duck with her ducklings trailing behind her and chuckles under his breath.

They locate Mr. Novak by the monkey bars, and Jack breaks ranks to run up to the man. "Mr. Novak! Mr. Novak! Mr. Winchester brought you hot chocolate!"

Dean feels his cheeks heat up when the blue-eyed man looks up at him and smiles. "Did he now," Mr. Novak murmurs. "It looks like the whole class came with!"

A chorus of voices agrees with him as Dean steps forward and presses the travel cup into Mr. Novak's hands. "They reminded me that it was cold today and voted for hot chocolate."

Mr. Novak takes a sip of the beverage and smiles softly. "Thank you, Mr. Winchester."

The kids all cheer and scatter away from them, and Dean laughs. "Dean," he says, scuffing his toe in the dirt a little.

"Then I must insist you call me Castiel." He takes another sip and sighs happily. "Thank you for this. It is cold, and with this being the last group to recess, I feel more like a human-shaped Popsicle than a human."

Dean snorts a laugh. "Yeah, I bet. They should be moving recess into the gym soon, though, so it won't be too much longer before you'll be sweating your ass off chasing them around."

Castiel inclines his head in agreement. "True. But at least I'll be able to feel my fingers."

"Good point." Dean looks at his watch and grimaces. "I gotta get back in and set the room up for this afternoon, I'll see you at lunch?"

Castiel smiles and nods. "I'll be there."

Dean grins back. "Awesome."

**

The next day he's got the kids making Valentines for one another, so the room is covered in glue, glitter, and other assorted craft items. Dean himself has glitter in his hair, and he's pretty sure his jeans are going to need to be tossed since Connie managed to find the one permanent marker in the room and dropped it right on his thigh, point down. But the kids are having a blast, and Charlie is in her element as she flits from child to child like some kind of demented fairy (she's covered in glitter too).

Dean grins as he kneels next to Jack and Annie. "Lookin' good, you two."

Jack smiles shyly, and Annie grins. "Where's yours, Mr. Winchester?"

Dean cocks his head at Annie, making her giggle. "My what?"

"Your Valentine," Jack says softly.

"Oh, I don't-"

"Wait, you aren't going to make a Valentine for Mr. Novak?" Ben asks from across the room. Dean looks up and realizes that, yet again, he's got twenty-five pairs of eyes trained on him, and Charlie, the traitor, is yet again hiding a grin behind her hand.

"Guys, it's not like that," Dean starts.

"But you like him, right?" Johnny asks.

"Well, yeah, but-"

Well, then you should make him a Valentine." Erica cuts in.

"But-" Dean's cut off again as Jack slides a sheet of pink construction paper over to him and lays a marker down on it. Dean sighs.

"You might as well. We're all gonna help, you know," Jack says quietly.

And so, Dean gives in. Each of the kids comes over to help a little, and by the time recess comes around, his pink sheet of construction paper is covered in glitter, pipe cleaners, cotton fuzz-things, and has little cut-out hearts glued all over it (courtesy of Janie and Charlie).

The kids are all ready to go out to the playground, bundled up, and standing quietly (for them) next to the door. The bell has already rung, so they are clearly waiting for him to get his coat on and to take Mr. Novak his Valentine. This time as they make their way across the yard, he feels less like a momma duck and more like a hostage.

They locate Mr. Novak next to the monkey bars again, and he sheepishly hands over the Valentine to Castiel.

"What's this?" he murmurs as he takes the sheet of paper and looks it over. "This is for me?"

Dean looks at the ground and nods and can feel his ears grow warm.

"Mr. Novak, don't you have a card for Mr. Winchester?" Krissy asks.

"Yeah, don't you like him back?" Ben throws in.

Dean wishes the ground would open up and swallow him whole and keeps his eyes trained on the ground.

"Actually, I do have a card for Mr. Winchester," Castiel says beside him.

Dean looks up quickly and sees a blush spreading across the recess monitor's cheeks as he hands Dean an envelope. The kids all cheer and scatter (much like they did the day before), and Dean goes to hand the envelope back to Castiel, thinking he had just given him spam mail to play along.

"Dean," Castiel says quietly, "That really is for you."

Dean opens the envelope and a single sheet of paper is inside. He slips it out and written on it in flowing script is "I like foods other than just cookies. How about dinner?" with a little heart drawn next to it.

Dean's jaw drops, and he looks up at Castiel. "Really?"

Castiel nods once, and a smile spreads across his face. Dean feels his face stretch into a goofy grin to match and doesn't even care when he hears giggles ring out behind him as Jack and Annie run off to join the others on the swings.

He's got a Valentine.


	4. Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prov. Foolish people usually do not understand when a situation is dangerous, so they are not afraid to do things that would frighten more sensible people._
> 
> Team Free Will encounter a blast from the past, and it doesn’t go so well for Castiel.
> 
> **Tags & Rating:** Mature for swearing and canon level violence. Case fic, Canon divergent, no set time frame, monsters trying to use angel grace in ways they shouldn’t.

Dean groans and thumps his head on the table. “Are you telling me that when we stabbed Dick in the neck all those years ago that some of the Leviathan got left behind?”

“It appears that way, yes,” Sam snarks back.

Dean rolls his head so he can glare at Sam out of the corner of his eye. “Don’t be a bitch, Sammy. I was kinda in the middle of being sucked into Purgatory at the time.”

Sam’s mouth twists. “OK yeah, sorry. OK, so we know that Leviathan are sensitive to Borax, can be beheaded, and we still have that dead guy bone.”

“Alright.” Dean picks his head up and rubs his temples. “What do we know about the case?”

“So, there’s been a rash of deaths in Kampville, MO. All of the bodies recovered have been beheaded, have black blood, and are partially eaten.” Sam turns the laptop around, and Dean drags it over to him so he can look over the police report. “So far, they can’t figure out what they all have to do with each other, but I’m betting that one of the chompers decided to be a new Dick Roman.”

“Roman was the first and only leader though, with him dead they’ve scattered to the four winds. Can one of them rise up to leadership?”

Sam shrugs. “Dunno. But we know they are scary smart, I guess it was only a matter of time before one of them tried it, you know?”

“Ugh.” Dean drops his head on the table again and thumps it a few times for good measure. “Alright, fine. Get some backup, though. These bastards are tough, and if there’s more than one of them, you know damn well we are going to need it.”

“Already called Jody. She and the girls are going to meet us there.” Sam shuts down the laptop and stands up, stretching. “You should call Cas, let him know.”

Dean wrinkles his nose.

“Seriously, Dean. We need all the help we can get on this, and you know damn well he can help. Get over yourself and call him.” Sam slaps him on the shoulder as he passes, heading into the hall. “Call him, jerk!” he calls as he disappears around the bend.

Dean grumbles to himself. “Maybe I don’t want to call him, ever think of that, Sammy? Ugh.” He slides down in the chair until his head is resting on the back, and he’s staring at the ceiling. He huffs to himself and digs out his phone.

_To Cas: Hey bud, long time no talk. Got wind of a Leviathan in MO so we’ll be heading that way in the am. Hmu if you want to join us._

He tosses his phone on the table and wriggles his way upright, back complaining the entire time. He snatches his phone up and pads down the hallway to his room. He puts the phone on silent except for his alarm and plugs it in before making sure his duffel is set for the next day. He’s packed for a week just in case and makes a mental note to grab the fed suit as they leave tomorrow.

**

Dean cracks an eye open and glares in the direction of his phone. The object in question is currently making a valiant effort to not only wake up all of the inhabitants of the bunker but to also escape its perch on the bedside table while doing so. He growls under his breath and reaches out to still it and silence the alarm before he pushes up and away from his pillow. He sits back on his heels and scrubs a hand over his face and through his hair before letting out a jaw-cracking yawn and stretching until his back pops. He grunts in satisfaction and climbs out of bed, pulling a pair of jeans on. Once he’s dressed, he gathers up his fed suit and duffel and makes his way out to the War Room, dumping both on the table. He wanders back to the kitchen with the idea of making a full pot of coffee, downing at least one mug, and using the rest of it to fill a thermos so he’ll at least have good coffee for the upcoming seven-hour drive.

“Hello, Dean.”

His nervous system tries to make a mad dash out of his skin, and Dean’s heart stops for a second before his brain catches up, and he recognizes the voice. “Jesus Christ Cas, we really need to get you a friggin’ bell,” he blurts out once his heart removes itself from his throat.

Cas tilts his head and narrows his eyes. “I didn’t ‘sneak up’ on you this time. I was standing still, therefor a bell would not have helped in this case.”

It’s too early for this. “Never mind. Just- would you like some coffee?”

Cas perks up. “Yes, please.”

Dean nods and goes through the motions of making a pot of coffee. While the go-go juice is brewing, he digs out the thermos and two mugs, the honey (for Cas), the sugar (for him), and the heavy cream and has it all set out before the coffee has even filled half of the carafe.

“Dean, I got your text message last night.”

Dean glances over at the angel. “I figured as much after you scared the crap out of me. You could have just responded, would have sent you the info so you didn’t have to meet us here.”

Cas looks away. “It’s no problem, I was actually nearby.” Dean’s eyebrows lift at this nugget of information, but Cas ignores him and continues. “Dean, I’m worried about this case. If this truly is a Leviathan…” he trails off, and Dean realizes that Castiel, Angel of the Lord, is nervous.

“Cas, man- this ain’t Purgatory. You’ve got your mojo here, and they aren’t near as strong as they are there. We’ll be fine.”

Cas’ mouth twists, but he nods once, sharply. The coffee pot gurgles its alert to Dean that the brewing is done, and he makes up two mugs of coffee, sliding Cas’ over to him, before fixing the rest of it up in the thermos. They make their way out to the War Room and settle in the chairs as they wait for Sam to make his appearance. Dean gives him a rundown of the case as they know it, and Cas hums when Dean gives him their thoughts.

“A Leviathan trying to rise to power certainly isn’t outside the realm of possibility, though it would be odd. With them being older than the Earth itself and Roman being their first and only leader, not all are going to be willing to follow someone else. It will be interesting if that is actually the case.”

Sam thumps down the few stairs into the War Room, bag and suit over his shoulder and granola bar in his mouth. “Hey, Cas. You going with us?”

“Yes, I am.” He gets up with Dean, and they head toward the garage. The brothers toss their gear in the back, make sure they have everything they might need in the weapons stash, and then they head out east.

**

Dean pulls into the parking lot of the cheapest place Sam could find to find. It’s a Host Inn, and they end up having to book two rooms because, for some reason, this place doesn’t see fit to offer rooms with double beds or pull-outs. Dean decides he’s too tired to give a shit and books both rooms for a week, just in case. They at least got rooms next to each other, so Dean’s as close to happy as he’s going to get at this point.

Dean throws the room keys to Sam when he gets back out to the car, and he and Cas get out and take their things to the room while Dean parks Baby far enough away that no one should even think about scratching her paint. When he joins Sam in what is apparently his room for the stay, Dean can’t help but wrinkle his nose at the smell.

“Yeah well, yours isn’t much better,” Sam says to Dean’s skunk face. “At least mine has a shower curtain. And TP.”

“Ugh. Sammy, you really gotta start reading the reviews on these places before we decide to stay in them.” Dean ducks into the bathroom to take a piss and decides that unless he gets truly filthy, there is no way in hell he’s going anywhere near the shower.

“Alright,” he says as he comes out of the bathroom. “What’s the game plan?”

They hash out the plan - Cas and Sam will go interview family members, and Dean will go to the Sheriff’s Department for St. Charles County and visit the morgue. They go through the details of the case that they have one more time before Dean throws in the towel.

“Alright, I need to hit the sack, I’m wiped and getting too old for staying up all night before working a case.” He stretches and takes the key for his room from Sam before telling his little brother goodnight and heading to his own room. Interestingly enough, Cas decides to follow.

Dean waves him in and shuts and locks the door. “What’s up, Cas?”

“I’m just worried about this case. There seems to be something going on here that I can’t pinpoint.” Cas’ gaze is far off as he looks back toward Kampville.

“Well, no sense in worrying about it right now. Let's do some digging, ask around, and find out what’s going on that the papers didn’t print before we go deciding this is more than we can handle. Plus, we’ve got backup on the way. Jody and the girls are on their way, so it won’t be just us.”

Cas nods, distracted. “Alright.” He pulls his awareness back to himself and looks at Dean. “I’ll let you sleep. Would it bother you if I read?”

“ Nah man, go ahead.” Dean ducks into the bathroom to change and comes back out to see Cas seated at the little mini-bar with a giant old book cradled in his hands. “Dude, are you going to sit there all night and read there?”

Cas continues reading but raises an eyebrow. “And where else would I read?”

Dean waves at the bed. “Dude, there’s plenty of room for you to sit somewhere that’s at least comfortable and won’t be hell on your back. I’m sure that the lamp won’t bother me.” He jerks the covers down on the bed in question, flops onto the mattress, and wiggles under the covers. Not bad for a motel room, he decides.

The bed dips down to his right, and he turns his head to see an uncertain Castiel sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You’re sure that sharing the bed with me won’t bother you?”

Dean snorts. “Dude, it's not like we’re bumpin’ uglies or anything. Take your coat and jacket off, kick off your shoes, and get comfy. Hell sit on top of the covers if it makes you feel any better. Either way, I’m going to get some shut-eye.” With that, Dean turns away from Cas and punches his pillow into something resembling a pillow he’d typically use, checks to make sure his phone is plugged in, and his gun is under the pillow and goes to sleep.

**

As it turns out, tracking down the Leviathan is easy. She’s in a soccer mom and a part of a local MLM community.

Killing the Leviathan turns out to be not-so-easy.

Karen had been trying to make baby Leviathans out of the town. Each of the people that turned up dead were the ones that didn’t make it through the transition or didn’t make the cut to be a part of Karen’s new followers and subsequently been bibbed.

“I didn’t know that Leviathan could multiply like this!” Dean calls as he ducks around a punch from a blond woman in yoga pants.

“Don’t look at me!” Sam turns in place and separates another head from a body. Dean grunts when he blocks a punch and takes the chance to throw in a cheap shot, bloodying the nose of the yuppy in front of him and pushing her back. He brings his machete up and drives it into her neck with a two-hand grip, the shock of metal hitting bone echoing up his arms. The head rolls away as the body slumps to the ground, drooling blood across the white tile floor.

“Ugh,” Dean mutters as he looks around. Bodies are everywhere; baby Leviathan who weren’t as well off as Mama Karen is in the strength and speed department. Probably just hadn’t been around long enough.

Dean looks around, the quiet prickling his skin. “Sam.”

Sam shakes his hair out of his face and levels a look at his brother. “What Dean? We need to get these bodies burned before-”

Dean cuts him off. “Where’s Cas?”

Sam looks confused for a second as he looks around, like the angel in question would just appear out of thin air. “Uh.”

“God damn it,” Dean sighs. “Let’s get these bodies burning and figure out-”

“Dean.” It’s Sam’s turn to interrupt. “Where’s Karen? I don’t see her body here anywhere.”

“Son of a _bitch_,” Dean bites out. “Let's get this place lit up and quick. There’s no telling what that bitch can accomplish with her hands on an angel.”

They salt and douse the bodies heavily with gas before tossing a match down on the pile of heads and bodies. They can only hope that the bodies burn well enough before the fire department gets there to put out the fire itself. Dean spares a moment to feel bad for the mess they are leaving behind them, but all he can focus on is listening to Sam as he researches and keeping Baby between the painted lines of the road.

Sam directs him to what passes for a warehouse district in this god-forsaken county, and they sweep through the area.

“Dean,” Sam hisses from a few feet away. “I think I found something.”

Dean picks his way over to his brother and peers in through a (literal) hole in the wall. He sees Cas tied up and gagged, hanging from a hook suspended from the ceiling. There’s black goo all over his face and chest, and he appears to be unconscious. Dean swears under his breath.

“I have no idea what she’s trying to do to him, but that doesn’t look good,” Dean whispers over his shoulder.

“No, it doesn’t. What’s the plan?”

Dean gnaws on his bottom lip for a few seconds. What he really wants to do is burst in guns blazing, but he doesn’t know what the Leviathan’s plan is, and he really doesn’t feel like getting Cas killed today. “Let’s see if we can flush her out. Get her away from Cas long enough to kill the bitch without giving her the chance to hurt him any more.”

“Well,” a female voice says over his shoulder, causing Dean to jerk around in a panic. “Good thing we showed up when we did, then. Sounds like you boys need the cavalry.”

Sam’s giving Claire and Alex a hug by the time Dean pulls himself up. “God damn, Jody, you are a sight for sore eyes.” He throws his arms around her and hugs her tight.

He gives her a rundown of what’s happened so far and what they’ve learned, making sure to keep his voice low and eyes on Cas. “Well,” she says with a whack to the back of Dean’s head, “If you boys had waiting on us, this might not have happened.”

Dean glares at her as he rubs the back of his head. “Wasn’t really a choice, to be honest. They figured out who we were before we were really done poking around and ganged up on us.”

Jody shrugs and nods her head. “Eh, OK, I’ll give you that one. Alright, so we flush the bitch out, separate her head from her shoulder, and get Cas out of there. Sounds easy enough.”

Dean glares at her for possibly jinxing the whole plan but nods his assent. “Alright, let's see if we can smoke this bitch out.”

They unanimously decide to send Dean in once they’ve got Karen outside, so he stations himself near a door where he can keep an eye on Cas and the rest of the gang. Dean has to stifle a laugh in his shoulder as they start trying to get the monster’s attention so he doesn’t give himself away.

“Hey, Karen! You wanted to speak to a manager right?”

“God, Karen, you are so stupid!”

“Oh my God, Karen!”

And on and on they go until the Karen in question bursts out of the door in front of them. Dean ducks in as they take her on, beelining right to Cas.

“Hey buddy,” he says as he pulls the gag down and slides his knife free. He cuts the angel’s bonds and lowers him to the ground. “I gotcha.”

Cas’ head lolls to the side, gaze glassy. “Dean?”

“Yeah bud. Almost done.” He saws through the rope around his ankles. “What happened?”

Cas coughs up a black glob. “She tried to kill me before realizing I still have enough grace to stabilize the new Leviathan.” He coughs up another glob and tries to raise his hand to wipe it away.

“Don’t move. I got it.” Dean sheds his flannel and uses it to wipe away the goo around Cas’ mouth. “Alright, sounds like the fighting outside’s died down. Think you can walk?”

Cas nods his head and lets Dean help him stand up, listing to the side. Dean gets himself situated on Cas’ right side and slides his arm over his shoulders. “Alright, one step at a time, alright? What can we do to help?”

“Nothing,” he coughs up another glob of goo and spats it out. “Just time for my Grace to cleanse the infection from my body.”

“Time we’ve got. Let's get you to the Impala and get us home. Sound good?”

Cas nods.

The door opens as they reach it, a blood-spattered Sam coming through. “Jesus Christ Cas, you look like hell.”

Cas tries to glare at Sam. “Well, I feel like it, so.”

Dean snorts a laugh as Sam rolls his eyes. He takes up Cas’ other arm, and together, the brothers guide him out of the warehouse and to the Impala. Jody and the girls join them once the body is well and truly crispy.

“Well,” Jody says as she takes in Cas. “Could have been worse.”

Cas inclines his head in agreement and lays himself out in the backseat, using Dean’s discarded flannel as a makeshift pillow. Dean makes sure all body parts are inside and shuts the door.

“We’re gonna get back to the motel and get him cleaned up, then head back to the bunker tomorrow. Y'all are more than welcome to stick around and come with.”

“Nah. We’ve got to get back so Alex can get to school, and Claire’s got another hunt already lined up. You know how it is.”

“I do.” Dean gives each one of them a hug. “Thanks, you guys.”

“No problem, old man,” Claire says, punching Dean in the arm. “Just next time, try not to leave us out of the fun, OK?”

“You got it squirt.”

They finish saying their goodbyes and get into their respective vehicles and drive off. Sam looks over at Dean, eyes worried. “Is he going to be OK?”

Dean nods. “He says he is. Says he just needs time for his Grace to do its thing. The Leviathan was going to use him to make more baby Leviathan after she realized what he was.” He tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “She tried to kill him first, though.”

“Jesus,” Sam says, wiping a hand over his mouth.

The drive to the motel is silent after that, Sam poking around on his tablet, and Dean focused on the road again. They manage to get Cas into Dean’s room with a minimum of fuss. Dean waves Sam off to his own room and sets to stripping Cas down to his boxers and getting him cleaned up. The angel doesn’t stir as Dean manhandles him under the covers and Dean’s officially worried, but there’s nothing he can do for Cas at the moment. He cleans himself up and collapses into bed beside his best friend and blinks sleepily at him.

“You better be OK you stupid son of a bitch,” he grumbles as he falls asleep.

**

Sunlight hits Dean’s eyelids, and he wrinkles his nose in distaste. He complains under his breath and shifts a little until something tickles his nose, causing him to crack open an eye. He’s greeted by the sight of messy hair and swallows hard as he takes in their positions.

Apparently, during the night, they gravitated toward each other until Dean had curled around Castiel, who was now sleeping with his back tucked up to Dean’s chest. Cas is using Dean’s right arm as a pillow, and his left arm is slung over Cas’ waist, keeping him as close to Dean as possible. Their legs are drawn up, Dean’s knees tucked behind Cas’, and their feet are tangled together.

Dean blinks a few times, trying to figure out what Bizzaro world he’s been transported to that he’s allowed to wake up like this.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas rasps.

“Hey sunshine. How you feelin’?” Dean is desperately hoping that Cas doesn’t try to smite him for playing the big spoon to his little spoon.

“Better, actually.” Cas shuffles around so that he’s laying on his back, looking up at Dean. “The rest and your assistance helped greatly.”

Dean blinks again. “My assistance?”

Cas squints at him. “Yes. Allowing me to be in close proximity to you helped my Grace recover faster.”

“Wait.” Dean pushes himself up on his elbow and looks down at Cas. “Are you telling me that _cuddling_ helped you heal faster?”

Cas looks confused. “No, I said that our proximity-”

“Yeah,” Dean cuts in. “Dude, we apparently cuddled the shit out of each other last night. When I fell asleep, I was on my side of the bed.”

Cas’ eyes go wide. “Oh. Dean, I am so sorry I-”

Dean cuts him off again. “No, it’s OK. I’m not uncomfortable with it. Just maybe don’t mention the cuddling part to Sam? I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Cas nods, relaxing into the mattress. “As you wish.”

Dean grins at the likely unintended quote. “So. You aren’t uncomfortable with this?” he motions between his chest and Cas’.

Cas shakes his head slowly. “No, Dean. You and I share a profound bond. Being close to you physically is… not a hardship for me. I just attempt to keep my distance because of your preference for ‘personal space’.” The dork even does finger quotes in bed.

Dean hums and thinks for a moment. Can he really have this? His eyes flick down to Castiel’s face, and he watches as he flicks his tongue out to wet his lips. Dean throws caution out the window and mutters, “fuck it” before bending down and kissing Cas lightly. Cas sucks in a sharp breath through his nose, and Dean pulls back a little. “Is this OK?”

Cas growls and snakes a hand around the back of his neck and pulls him back down, taking the kiss over and stealing Dean’s breath. _Holy shit_, he thinks as he sinks into the kiss and winds his hands into Cas’ hair.

The door to the hotel room slams open, startling them both. “Hey guys, let’s get this _oh hell no._” Sam, the great big interrupting moose that he is, takes in the sight in front of him, covers his eyes, and spins around. “Get up and dressed, we need to check out in fifteen minutes or we have to pay for another day. I’ll be out at the Impala. Dean I’m taking your key, so get your ass up and get dressed and get out here.” The door slams shut.

Dean huffs out a laugh and lays his head down on Cas’ chest. “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about how to break this to Sam.”

Cas chuckles, and Dean grins at the sensation of the chest rumbling beneath him. “No, I suppose not. Let’s get home, shall we?”

Dean lifts his head, a goofy grin on his face. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”


End file.
